Stay With Me
by outerelf
Summary: It was a war worth waging, one that he intended not to loose. One that he couldn't loose, for the prize in the end was too great to be lost.


The first time he had noticed him was when the room was nearly completely empty. Everyone had been chased out, leaving the two of them simply sitting quietly. At that point in time, however, he had been running large codes of data and hadn't had the spare processor then to think about it shallowly.

The other bot seemed perfectly content for the silence to wrap them in its quiet, enfolding blanket. He flittered from station to station, checking wires, making notes, and sometimes making Mysterious Noises that boded ill for whomever had done the last inspection- or at least that's what the one watching thought.

The string of code was beginning to run out, leaving more room for processing other things. Quietly he searched his databanks for a file, and pulled up a scrawny, barely there file.

"Welcome to the Control Room, Red Alert."

The smaller bot – not that being smaller than him was a hard task under any circumstances – flinched, turning around to face him, optics instantly settling on him. He was unreasonably pleased that the small bot automatically registered whom had spoken. "Y-you're Teletrann, correct?"

"Correct." The cool reply – at times like these he wished his voice programming could show inflection – had a slightly visible effect of relaxing the smaller bot a little. 'Visible' as in the scans showed that the wildly thumping spark beat had slowed down slightly. Outwardly, the other bot remained as tense as other.

"Good. If you don't mind me, I need to finish up the inspection. I swear I will _kill_ the mech who was last here. Wires were left bare, joints corroded, holes in the support structure-"

Red Alert ticked off his list of grievances as Teletraan listened quietly, celebrating. At last _someone_ had noticed his condition. As Red Alert continued on, Teletraan began processing the datacode string faster, attempting to devote more processor space to what the bot was saying- "Also, some of your databanks don't work properly, correct? Would you tell me each one and I'll go check up on it-"

In that moment, Teletraan made a snap decision that it never regretted. It carefully transferred Red Alert's file to those on his 'Top Priority' list, allowing the smaller bot access to anything and everything.

-

Teletraan flickered through his databanks, searching for the file that the second in command had asked for, as he kept his sensors trained on the other bot sitting next to the officer. Red Alert was quietly discussing several important breeches in the security network, and the way the Decepticons had come inside. Every now and then he would tap the datapad and point to something on it.

Even though Teletraan knew he should be focusing on the datafile and the datafile only, he devoted some small part of his processor to listen to what the two had to say.

The talk slowly wound down through what was required and edged closer and closer into what could be considered gossip. "Red Alert, I wish to inquire your relationship about Inferno."

The smaller bot stiffened. Teletraan found the file, but withheld it, waiting to see what Red Alert would say. "Inferno is a good friend Prowl." The clipped voice threatened to chop stone in half with its quiet brutality.

"Nothing more? I can see why you would be hesitant to tell me if there was anything more, but due to my own relationship with Jazz…"

"If you must know, I am this close to blowing a fuse and simply _locking him out_ of the control room." The space between his fingers was infinitesimal, "Now, are you done poking into my personal life?"

Prowl regarded the huffy Lamborghini through half-shuttered optics before he nodded curtly. "Very well."

"Thank you." Red Alert snapped back, adding in a quiet mutter under his breath, "I never asked about you and Jazz, I never wanted to even _know_ until you both started interfacing in front of the cameras-"

Prowl made a note to talk to Jazz about that, before his optics turned towards Teletraan. The machine waited patiently for an order. "Teletraan, you got the datafile?"

"Correct."

"Oh thanks. How long is it?"

"Two five zero zero pages."

"Oh- oh…ow. Just pull it up on one of the consoles, I suppose."

Red Alert made a vague hand motion. Teletraan obligingly placed the file on every single console, allowing the two to pick and choose where they wanted to go. Unsurprisingly, they scooted towards the closest one.

"Well? What do you think?" Prowl poked the screen. Teletraan was uncomfortably silent. "The data here shows that there are probably deeply secret passages-"

"True. Don't poke the screen, Prowl. You're making Teletraan uncomfortable. "

Teletraan could've made a huge heart appear on his monitor for that comment and lovely thought. It wasn't often he was so lovingly thought of. Instead, he limited it to one single happy icon at the very bottom in the corner as the cooling units that surrounded servers were forced to work just a little harder.

-

It wasn't until Red Alert was damaged during battle, and was out of the room for several days where Teletraan couldn't see him, and got absolutely no information except for data sometimes entered in by Ratchet, that the ship's computer realize just how lonely it could get with no one bothering to recognize he actually existed.

Not to mention how _terrifying_ it could be. Silently, patiently, Teletraan waited for Red Alert to return. Soon. Sooner. Now would be nice.

Ratchet's voice drifted past a highly attuned sensor. "I'm telling you Prime, Red Alert isn't exactly ready to be up and running about like he insists he is, and needs rest, peace, quiet- absolutely no work."

"Ratchet, we can ban Red Alert from the control room as much as we want, but I don't think that's going to stop him." Primes dry voice was only slightly amused. "Last time I checked, Red Alert found a way to override even my codes when I attempted to lock him out of the control room."

Teletraan refrained from telling Prime that it was actually all his fault and that he had been the one to override the codes. "Oh, great. Now what do we do, lock him in the medbay? I admit his presence is chasing all of the morons away."

Teletraan nearly sighed in misery as the two drifted out of auditory range. This wasn't going well at all.

Teletraan flickered through the scenes the cameras showed, flicking over them quietly. He stopped, and reverted as a short skip over showed Red Alert limping through the hallways.

Silently, Teletraan checked his line of escape, also checking to make certain there was no one else nearby. Let's see, Inferno was going to be passing pretty close… A door slammed shut in front of Inferno, locking.

Inferno frowned, before tapping a code onto the keypad next to the door. Red Alert passed by, not glancing at the closed door. As soon as Red Alert safely rounded the corner, Teletraan allowed the increasingly mad Inferno through the doorway. Inferno glanced around, optics narrowing as he spotted no one, before rerouting himself towards the medbay.

Teletraan virtuously tried not to cackle madly and feel like an evil-doer finding his plans were working. He wasn't doing anything wrong, he was simply helping out an old friend.

The door opened for Red Alert before he could type in the code. For a split moment the small Lamborghini hesitated, before the lights brightened slightly inside. It was a sure sign that Teletraan had opened the door for him. With a grateful smile, Red Alert slipped in, settling into a chair.

"There are supposed to be others in here."

"They left." Teletraan didn't mention that he had sent them off on a wild-goose chase to better devote the servers to something more productive than music and other idiotic things.

A scan showed that Red Alert was completely patched up, but his energy levels fluctuated wildly. Teletraan determined that the best idea for the Lamborghini would be peace, quiet, and absolutely no noise at all.

Scans down the hallway showed that Inferno was rapidly retreating from out of the medbay, face grim. _He's coming to take Red away. I will not allow that to happen._

Doors slammed shut in the snarling fire truck's face as codes reset themselves to the highest possible. Teletraan then hurriedly rerouted images from nearby cameras onto a private, internal screen to keep Red Alert from knowing what was going on.

A hand pounded on the keyboard in frustration, as muttered curses arose from the fire truck. Baneful blue optics rose up to the cameras, as Inferno snapped, "Red, stop that!"

Red Alert, peacefully snuggled in a nice, comfy chair, had no idea what was going on. Instead, the Lamborghini asked slowly, "Teletraan- I've been wondering, you seem to have a lot of emotion for something that's supposed to be… a drone."

Data strings froze at the comment. "Are you certain you don't have a spark instead?"

There was a quiet moment, before softly, "I have a spark. It's hidden."

"Of course." Grateful relief shone on Red Alert's face, and Teletraan sighed silently in relief that Red Alert hadn't asked to see the spark. It was odd to be paranoid about such a thing, but so long as it stayed safely hidden away…

Down the hallway Inferno had given up tapping in the code to the unresponsive doors. "Wheeljack?"

"Yeah Inferno?"

"The doors won't open for me. I've been trying for the past few breems, and they still won't open!"

Angry frustration lanced through Inferno's voice, as Teletraan silently willed for the fire truck to just give up. He had Red Alert safely within the control room, everything set up just the way the Autobot liked it. If Inferno came, he would insist that the lights be turned up brightly, the speakers turned completely off, and Red Alert would be firmly distracted from watching the cameras.

He attempted to firmly tell himself that he wasn't jealous of the fire truck's ability to interact with Red Alert so freely- but it would've been a lie, and he wasn't programmed to lie.

But he was lonely. That was the reason why he was also now locking Wheeljack into his room. The inventor frowned, picked up a flamethrower, and pointed at the door. A moment later he set it down, cursing under his breath. "I forgot that the door is flame proof. Slaggit."

He walked towards the door, rapidly keying in a code. The door refused to open. "Of course 'Jack, Inferno already mentioned that it wouldn't work. PERCY!"

Wheeljack began banging on the wall closest to him. The wall was especially thin right where he was pounding it- just in case either of the two scientists wanted anything, and didn't want to come out of their rooms. Not that anyone else knew.

Teletraan listened in carefully as Wheeljack called out, "Hey, Percy, can you… can you open your door?"

Perceptor trotted to his door. Teletraan, fed up and ready to do something drastic locked all doors. Several voices cried out in consternation across the Ark as Teletraan dimmed lights, and turned off the video feeds to the control room.

In the control room Red Alert sat up a little straighter as all the screens went blank. "Teletraan?"

Silence.

"Teletraan, what happened to the video feed?"

"Considering the fact that you are in need of rest, and do not seem willing to go into rest willingly as long as the video feed is playing, I have shut it off. Go into recharge, Red Alert."

Blue optics flickered, as the body stayed tense for a little longer, before Red Alert slowly relaxed into the chair.

Teletraan could hear several mechs pounding on the doors. Sunstreaker, trapped with Tracks and Prowl, was attempting to tear off the door. Prime hadn't noticed yet. Wheeljack and Perceptor had both gotten out their tools and were trying to hot wire the doors back into a working state. Grimlock and the rest of the Dinobots were unaware and uncaring. Ironhide was trapped in the training room with Bluestreak and Bumblebee. He looked about ready to start firing at the door if it didn't open soon.

Teletraan considered the ramifications. If it was ever found he was the one doing this, he would be reprogrammed and Red Alert would be blamed. That thought alone made him let the doors rush open at the same time.

Wheeljack yelped in surprise; Perceptor straightened; Ironhide shuddered in relief; Sunstreaker tumbled right out the doorway as he attempted to body slam it.

The door to the control room remained firmly locked, as well as the door in front of Inferno. Teletraan wasn't letting Red Alert go anytime soon. Red Alert was his, and he was lonely.

Wheeljack stood up shakily, as Teletraan allowed the door in front of Inferno to open. First and foremost he had to lure Inferno into a room.

Red Alert snuggled down deeper into a chair, not knowing of the silent war Teletraan waged on Inferno.

Doors opened for Inferno, and Inferno sighed in relief as he walked through the hallways. "Finally, Red. Ya must be really tired."

Teletraan let the door slam shut on Inferno's face. Inferno groaned, turning around to look around him. A door led off into a storage room, connected to other storage rooms… "Ha! Ya got no control over the storage room doors connecting each other."

Wrong. Red Alert didn't. Teletraan did. Teletraan could blow up the entire ship if it so chose. Inferno strolled into the storage room and Teletraan sprang its trap.

All lights flickered onto their dimmest setting. All doors locked shut. All communications systems inside storage rooms went down completely. Inferno flinched as the lights went down, and desperately tried his communications system.

Nothing came up; nothing worked.

Teletraan would've smirked if he had a face, but instead contented himself in very softly playing Ride of the Valkyries.

He had won this round. Red Alert would stay. Already he was beginning to plan out his next move.

Inferno had no idea about the war on his hands- nor did Red Alert know about what was going on. But that was for the best. If neither knew that the war was going on, then neither could exactly protest, now could they? And moreover, the spoils of the war would be much less likely to be hurt when he learned _why_ Inferno was no longer speaking to him.

Odds were defiantly stacked in his favor. He would win this war.

Red Alert stirred slightly, shifting in the chair to get more comfortable. Teletraan obligingly dimmed the lights a little more, sending them into near complete darkness, blank screens glowing in the dark.

It was perfect; he could make it perfect.

All that was left was making certain Red never left again.

* * *

a/n: This is a request fic, which I happily took. Hope this was what you were looking for! :) And, as always, please read and review.


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